The Fall of the Patriot
by Pokessassin
Summary: It's all led up to this. As Dean closes in on the Patriot at last, secrets are about to be revealed that will question everything he knows and everything he does... And the Patriot still has his endgame, one last ace. Will Dean be able to stop him, take his revenge and come out the other side with his sanity and morality intact?
1. Chapter 1

**OK, hello everyone, and welcome to Fall of the Patriot! Sorry for not putting this up sooner, but I was travelling for two full days back from Mexico to Ireland. And I'm exhausted! But I'm here now!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Nintendo does.**

"It's bloody freezing out here. What're we even doing?" asked Michael, shivering from the cold December chill. He hefted a crate out of the massive ship and handed it to the balding, stocky man by the door, his friend Alan.

It was five days before Christmas, his vacation, and Mike had been called into work on a job that had been stated as an 'emergency'. He'd turned up to see men with guns guarding the dock, and now he and a few other guys from work were performing what seemed like a fairly routine shipment-unloading job.

He wondered why they needed armed muscle for this. Then again, he didn't know what 'this' was. Whatever was in these crates was top-secret, and very valuable.

Alan walked out of the ship, down a set of stairs that led onto a pier. Mike looked away, already lifting another crate.

He heard a faint crack from outside.

Another, and another. Gunfire, and yells. Then another crack, and complete silence.

A red dot centred on his chest.

"Who's out there?!" Mike yelled uncertainly. He felt around behind him in his tool belt for a weapon, and gripped a Poké Ball.

"Don't bother. You'll be dead before you can press the button." announced a slurred voice.

"Who are you? W-what do you want?!" Mike stammered. He took his hand off his Poké Ball and raised both of his hands above his head.

"Who I am isn't important. Do you know what you're shipping here?" the voice responded.

"N-no."

"Do you know _why?"_

"_No. _Now please…I have a family…" Mike said weakly.

"Everyone does. Do you know the name of your employer?" asked the voice with a visible tone of irritation.

Mike was surprised. He did know, of course. Everyone knew. UK's biggest trading company was owned by the guy. He was a politician. He probably had evening tea with the bloody Prime Minister.

"Douglas Snow." Mike answered.

And the red dot vanished.

Dean was standing on the roof of the office building, hands stuck in his pockets, trenchcoat collars stuck up against the cold, when Jack climbed up the fire escape into view.

"OK. What've you got?" Dean called.

Jack walked up to him and stuffed his hands in pockets too after setting his rifle down on the roof.

"Over the past month, since the MI6 base, the Patriot's gone off-grid. He's nowhere, literally nowhere. Nobody has any idea where he is. The only contact he's made is with the number we found on the laptop back at the MI6 building when we went back to it. I've found out whose it is." Jack answered and pulled out his iPhone. He showed it to Dean.

On the screen was a picture of a man shaking hands with, surprisingly, John Hurt. Another picture showed the same bearded man shaking hands with Obama. And then David Cameron. And then Morgan Freeman.

"Douglas Snow, owner of Avalanche Worldwide, the largest shipping company in the United Kingdom. Billionaire, in the next eight years he's going to make _trillionaire. _It's his number we found." Jack explained, and pocketed his phone. "So basically, those things in the ship were more than likely something the Patriot ordered."

Dean nodded.

"That can't be good. Did you get a look?" he asked. Jack shook his head.

"I did. Same as…same as the others. One of the crates had an Electivire, chained down. Another had a sedated Pinsir. Can you believe what kind of bastard you'd have to be to do that?" Jack said gravely. Angrily.

Dean just nodded again. He knew exactly what kind of bastard. _His _kind. The inhuman kind. Yveltal's kind.

"Right. So what's the next step?" Jacked asked, calming down a little.

"We find Douglas. We find him, and we make him tell us what he's planning. We _make _him tell us where Yveltal is. And we stop that freak before he hurts anyone else." Dean declared. Jack nodded. He hefted his rifle.

"Where do we start?"

"With help. We need to get inside this Avalanche thing, find out where Snow is, and somehow make him talk without alerting anyone. Not easy, considering he probably has beefy security. But do know somebody who can help…" Dean said, and smiled.

"Who's that then?" Jack asked suspiciously. Dean never smiled, not since before Emily.

Ten hours later, Chloe McAvoy opened her door to see the two Regan brothers standing outside.

**Why is Dean smiling? Am I so nice that I'm going to give him a second chance to find love?**

**Ha. Come on. You guys know **_**me. **_**Am I that nice?**

**Tell me in a review, please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! **

**CHAPTER NOW I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

"So, what is it you guys want _this _time?" Chloe asked, slightly irritably. Obviously, she remembered what'd happened to her Talonflame. She sat down in the large, leather armchair in her living room across from Dean and Jack, who were sat on the long sofa.

"We need your help. Your dad, he works for Avalanche Worldwide, doesn't he?" Dean asked. Chloe nodded quickly, and for a second, it seemed that multi-coloured lights flashed dimly around her, for a fraction of a second, and then faded.

Dean shook his head. He needed more sleep.

"He does. Senior member of the whole English division." Chloe nodded.

"Great. Do you thhhhinnk he could get us in?" Jack slurred bluntly.

"Um. Why?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you see…ah…OK, Jack, could you go out a second? Just wait in the hall?" Dean sighed. Jack tilted his head curiously. The younger Regan nodded.

Jack stood, and left the room, shutting it behind him.

"OK. Chloe. I want you to see this, and not freak out. Do we have a deal?" Dean asked, standing up.

Chloe looked taken aback, but a little amused.

"Right then. Let's see it. Whatever it is." She asked.

Dean's pupils shone red, clearly visible through the dimly-lit December darkness of the room. He raised a hand and a sphere of yellow formed in his palm.

"And that's not a _hundredth _of what I can do."

Chloe didn't gape. She didn't stare, wide-eyed. She just nodded, and quietly said;

"OK."

Dean laughed slightly. She was taking this remarkably in her stride.

Almost too in her stride.

"So? Is that it, just, OK?" Dean asked. He folded his arms and sat back down.

"Wow. I mean, Dean, how long have you been able to do this?" Chloe asked.

"Well. Always. I mean, I've always been able to _do _it, but I only figured out two months ago or so…"

And there, by the fireside on a cold Winter night, Dean Regan explained just how his life had been ruined.

Jack stood in the hallway, rifle propped up against the wall.

He was confused. He'd been confused a lot lately, ever since…ever since he'd died. Ever since Rankshaw had shot him over Parliament, and he'd died, and he'd seen…

No. He couldn't even think about it. It was all too terrifying, too confusing.

Thankfully, Jack's troubling thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open and Chloe and Dean walking out.

"Well?" Jack asked.

"I can get you guys in." Chloe nodded. "My dad should be home any minute, and I'll make…something up." She finished, pausing slightly.

Then the doorbell rang.

Chloe moved towards the door and motioned for Dean and Jack to go.

Five minutes later, she called them back.

Jack and Dean came out of the living room and walked out into the hall, and came face to face with Chloe's father.

He was a stern-looking, strongly built man in his forties. His eyes had a strange, glazed look in them.

"So you're Jack and Dean?" he asked, his voice emotionless.

"Uh…yeah." Dean nodded slowly.

"You want to see what a shipping company's like? Work experience?" he asked, directing his question to Jack this time, taking no notice of his mangled face.

"Yes…" Jack said uncertainly. Without further ado, Mr McAvoy nodded and spun on his heel, grabbing his car keys off the nearby coffee table and strolling out the door.

Once he'd left, Dean heartily congratulated Chloe on being a bloody excellent liar.

"Work experience. Brilliant." Jack smiled lopsidedly.

Chloe grinned and strode out the door. Dean was going to follow, but Jack put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dean."

"What is it?" Dean asked impatiently, putting on his trenchcoat.

"If something goes down in there," Jack said gravely, "then she's more than likely going to see you kill someone. Are you…are you sure you're ready for that?"

Dean paused. He wasn't sure. Dammit, he really wasn't sure.

Then he remembered why he should be.

"I am. It doesn't matter. All that matters is finding out where Snow is and beating what we want to know out of him. And then we can finally end all of this." Dean declared, and walked towards the door.

"I'm telling the Pokémon to meet us there and wait outside in case something….goes down, as you say." He called over his shoulder and walked out.

Jack followed his brother, just like always.

**Now we're getting somewhere.**

**Also, where all my reviewers at? Are you all dead? Did you all commit suicide when you realized that I'm a bad guy and Dean will never be happy?**

**R&R, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**SCREW MY HIATUS.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKÉMON**

Chloe's father's black Mercedes pulled up outside of the Avalanche London building. Almost as soon as it did, Jack and Dean bailed. Chloe climbed out soon after.

Lastly, Mr McAvoy himself stood up to his rather intimidating full height. He still had a glazed, slightly confused look in his eyes.

"Right. You're only here for work experience, right? I'll show you around the building." He announced, not even glancing at Dean, and turned on his heel, striding up to the doors of the looming building. A helicopter, strangely enough, was parked up on top of the building.

Dean glanced at Chloe.

"_The hell was that?" _he asked through his mind. He felt it was time she knew about the whole telepathy thing anyway.

She took to it remarkably quickly.

"_Oh, you can do this, like, 'Professor X' thing too? Cool. Anyway, he thinks Jack is here on work experience. Once I told him that, he just interrupted me and saw you guys. He's pretty eager to show Jack around." _She answered.

"_And did you so much as _mention my existence?" Dean questioned.

"_I didn't have a chance. Sue me."_

"_Guys, shut up." _Jack interjected and began walking after Mr McAvoy. Dean and Chloe followed quickly.

"ID." The security guard at the door, a broad-shouldered black man shook his head as Jack walked past, Mr McAvoy having already walked past him and was now waiting in the lobby.

"Ah, come on. He explained to you I was here on work experience?" Jack asked, raising his arms in a 'be reasonable' gesture. He glanced at Mr McAvoy, who'd obviously forgotten the whole, 'Everyone needs ID' caveat.

"Don't care. ID or you can beat it, ugly." The guard insisted scathingly. For a moment, it looked like Jack was going to punch him. Dean looked at Chloe, wondering what he should do.

Suddenly, something flashed in her eyes. A vague shape, appearing and disappearing so fast Dean couldn't make it out. Lights flashed around her for a second again but Dean blinked them away, thinking it was just his imagination.

The guard, who had grabbed Jack by the shoulder, suddenly loosed his grip. His hand fell, almost subserviently, by his side.

"Fine," he said blankly. Jack nodded, trying to restrain his surprise, and walked on through. Dean and Chloe followed once again.

They walked into a brightly lit reception, with a couple of Christmas baubles hung up here and there.

It was Christmas.

Dean had almost forgotten that existed. He realized it was only nine days away.

Heck, his birthday had come and gone. He'd turned fourteen and he never noticed. Neither had Jack.

Dean clenched his fists. That didn't matter now. All that mattered was avenging Emily and ending this.

Mr McAvoy gestured for Jack to follow him, as he walked out of a set of double doors that led into a hall.

Before he did, Jack stepped back a little, just so that Dean could whisper;

"Ditch him as soon as you can and try and find Snow's itinerary or something. Anything that might let us find him. Chloe and I will do the same. Meet back in here in an hour and try not to fuck this up."

And Jack strode forwards, even putting his hands in his pockets and whistling 'Silent Night'. Dean made a mental note. Jack is a good actor.

"So what now?" Chloe muttered.

Dean glanced around.

"We need to find a way to where they store data. I did a little bit of research on my phone on the way over. Avalanche makes sure to store all of its info and records on hard-copy instead of digitally. Computers can be hacked, after all. So they'll probably have a big-ass room with all their files." Dean explained and glanced around.

Suddenly, two Machoke walked in, two employees following them. The Machoke carried a large cardboard box each.

"One second," Chloe said and walked over to them. "Hey guys!" she greeted cheerily.

"Um…who're you?" asked one of them, a skinny guy who couldn't have been more than twenty, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

She glanced at Dean. He nodded.

"Oh! She's just with me, I'm interning here! Sorry. So, uh, where are these boxes going?" Dean asked and crossed his fingers. He was really tall for a fourteen year old, and he hoped they'd believe him.

The skinny guy squinted at him, and nodded.

"File Storage, on basement two." He answered. "If you guys wouldn't mind taking them, that'd be great. Long day." He asked. The Machokes grunted in agreement.

"No problem at all!" Chloe answered and took one of the boxes. Dean did the same. The other man, a slightly more muscular fellow, handed Chloe a card key.

They walked out.

"_That was easy." _Dean remarked with a grin through his mind. Chloe nodded and they walked into the elevator.

Dean punched in -2 into the elevator controls, and a few seconds later, the doors slid open to a 'ding' noise.

They stepped out into a frankly sprawling room.

The room was bare, save for shelves upon hundreds of shelves of folders, each bearing Avalanche's insignia; a snowflake, on which was branded the single, capital 'A'.

"Damn." Chloe breathed.

"OK. OK. A lot of files to work through. We can do this though. Get looking under Douglas Snow," Dean said and walked off.

Jack Regan had ditched Chloe's father almost as soon as they'd reached the end of the hallway. He'd pretended to see a friend over by the elevator and said that his 'friend' could surely guide him around the building.

Right now, though, Jack was bent over a laptop in the office which Douglas Snow himself used when he was in London. He'd quickly beaten the password over the guard at the door.

He browsed through the folders on the desktop before coming to the right one and clicking on it.

'Meetings'.

Jack's single eye that he could control at will widened.

"London, ten past eleven file pickup. The bastard's already _here!" _he hissed and sprinted out of the room. He took the stairs down, incapacitating a guard and taking his Taser on the way down.

He arrived in basement two a second too late.

"The hell's going on?!" Dean barked when he saw him enter. "I said meet up in an hour!"

"He's - !" Jack began, out of breath, but then the elevator dinged and Douglas Snow himself emerged, flanked by a Frosslass and Metagross.

"Already here?" finished Snow.


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, so! I have something awesome for all you guys! **

**A NEW FIC!**

**It's basically going to be a spin-off of the Dean series, set in the same universe, but not with any of the characters.**

**And it will start real soon! So yeah, look out for A Brave New World!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKÉMON.**

"Son of a bitch…" Dean growled as Snow gestured for his Metagross and Frosslass to spread out on either side of Jack, Chloe and Dean.

"Well. Quite the situation you three have gotten yourselves into. Breaking and entering, assault, attempted corporate espionage…not to mention the manhunt already going on, of course," Snow said, smiling slightly. Then he turned to Chloe.

"But. You, dear girl…where do you fit in?" he asked.

Chloe had frozen, stock-still. She seemed to be eyeing the Metagross closely, with something akin to fear. Dean glanced at her.

"Well?" he asked. "Where _do _you fit in?"

"Before you answer, know that, since I haven't been directed to kill your good self, Ms McAvoy, I am willing to fully grant you amnesty and push no charges on you." Douglas told her, that smile of his growing ever wider.

"Choose." Dean snarled.

Chloe looked conflicted. Dean couldn't exactly blame her. She'd committed a crime, which could either ruin her life or be absolved completely.

Then she stepped towards Dean.

"I stand with th-them."

Snow nodded and lifted a pager from his pocket. He pressed a button on it and spoke;

"Mr Donegan? Clear."

And the doors at the far end of the sprawling room, which Dean and Chloe hadn't even noticed, exploded. Smoke billowed out. Dean took a step back, and heard shouts through the smoke.

"Get behind me." Dean snapped angrily. Chloe didn't need to be asked twice, and she went the whole hog, ducking behind a massive shelf of files.

"I'll call the Pokémon. Hold them off - !" Dean began, but suddenly, something blurred through the fog and hit him like a truck. The blow was so hard and fast that all Dean saw was a red blur. He was slammed _through _a shelf and landed amidst a pile of brown folders.

He glimpsed the title of one.

'Doomsday'.

Then he coughed forcefully, and something he hadn't produced in a while hit the ground. Blood.

He'd been hurt.

"_Guys. Get in here now! Basement two!" _Dean shouted through his mind as the red blur came at him again.

This time he was ready. Dean raised a hand and a jet of fire erupted out, the Flamethrower halting the red blur in its tracks.

"Gotcha." He declared as the flames faded and a Scizor was revealed.

A man stepped out from behind it. He was a small bit taller than Dean, bald, with a buzz-cut. He had a faded scar over his right eye.

He pulled out a shotgun that was strapped to his back.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it, Dean! I'm afraid I have to be evacuated by my faithful security and pretend to be in shock!" Douglas called jovially.

"What?!" Dean heard Jack splutter.

"I was never here, my boy! Nor were my Pokémon! I just showed up so you'd stay in place until Mr Donegan could blow the doors. For all intents and purposes, this was incident was nothing more than a simple gas explosion that I managed to escape!"

And then he was gone.

The bald man levelled his gun.

"You'd better be very sure, Mr Donegan," Dean said. Apparently, he was. A stab of fire flashed in the barrel of the gun and Dean felt an impact on his chest. He didn't hesitate and punched Donegan, hard.

The man ducked, more fast than he appeared, and pulled a Poké Ball. Dean charged a bolt of lightning in his hands, ready to fry whatever came out, when Scizor moved again.

This time the attack, which Dean was pretty sure was Bullet Punch, hit him in the head. The whole world was rocked, and Dean felt like his skull was breaking. That was one powerful Pokémon if it could make _him _feel pain.

Dean was slammed into the floor. He was in a heap, his head pounding like a bass drum. He raised a hand fired out a Dragon Rage. He didn't see if it hit, but it seemed that Scizor was wounded.

Donegan emerged from the smoke, cocking his shotgun once more, before Jack came up behind him and swiftly wrapped an arm round his throat.

Suddenly, a Conkeldurr, which must've came out of Donegan's Poké Ball, emerged from the smoke. It was a lot taller than the game suggested, dwarfing even the six foot two Jack.

Conkeldurr swung its massive stone pillars into Jacks legs and he yelled out, but didn't let go.

He pulled out a Taser and jammed it into Donegan's back. Dean saw a crackle of electricity and Donegan howled. He gripped Jack's wrists and threw him forward…

…to be hit head on by Conkeldurr's second swing.

There was a sickening crunch and Jack spun mid-air before slamming into the ground. He was unconscious, and bleeding profusely.

Donegan, however, had dropped his shotgun.

Chloe darted forwards out from her hiding place and picked it up. Before Donegan could do anything, she pulled the already-cocked weapon's trigger. There was a resounding bang, and from Donegan's knee sprayed blood. He collapsed.

Reshiram and Ho-Oh suddenly slammed through the roof, being circled by the Eons. Salamence and Aegislash landed soon afterwards.

Scizor and Conkeldurr moved to attack.

Salamence was quicker and dived, ripping a Dragon Claw into the Fighting type's shoulder. It grunted, unimpressed, and snatched the Dragon type's tail before slamming Salamence to the floor.

Latias wasn't having that at all, apparently.

Her eyes glowed blue and the smoke around the room turned into Psychic-charged vapour that gathered in front of her. Latias formed the Mist Ball into shape and fired.

Conkeldurr was at first only driven back a step, but then it was hurled up through the ceiling that Reshiram and the others had caved in.

Ho-Oh folded his wings and then threw them out. A maelstrom of blue flames exploded out, scorching Scizor.

When the smoke cleared there was silence, save for a blaring alarm.

Dean sprinted to Jack and lifted him telekinetically onto Reshiram's back.

Chloe threw the shotgun aside and stepped over Donegan. She leapt onto Reshiram too.

Dean rose into the air and sat on Ho-Oh's neck.

"Go."

The group touched down on the roof of the apartment. The cold wind blew a gale, and snowflakes touched down all over the roof.

"Get Jack in, now!" Dean yelled and once they were inside, he placed his bleeding brother on the sofa. His nose was broken, four teeth were knocked out and a further six cracked. He was bleeding, making his already half-burnt face look even worse.

"Somebody do something!" Dean barked. He had the edge of a coffee table in a white-knuckled death-grip.

Ho-Oh, neck bent over Jack's still form, shook his head.

"_I'm not sure what can be done." _He sent gravely.

Dean turned to him, eyes wide and vicious and blood red.

"But…wait! You brought back Entei, Raikou and Suicune when _they _were dying, didn't you? Why can't you do something?!" he yelled. He turned to the Eons, and to the whole group. "_WHY CAN'T ANYONE DO ANYTHING?!"_

"_I can't use my powers on humans. It's dangerous…and forbidden." _Ho-Oh refused.

"Forbidden by whom?" Dean asked, his tone changed. Now it was measured. Too controlled. Silently enraged.

"_Arceus. He forbade me to use my powers to resurrect a mortal human at the beginning of time. It can go horribly wrong." _Ho-Oh elaborated, voice sad.

"I AM ARCEUS NOW!" Dean bellowed and a spear of red energy skewered the coffee table. He didn't seem to realize.

In the corner of the room, Chloe watched, silent. Face calm.

Dean turned, starting to cry. He put a hand on Jack's chest. There was no movement, no breathing.

He felt a hand laid on his. He looked up. It was Chloe.

"Dean…" she began, but stopped. She didn't know what she could possibly say.

She gently squeezed Dean's hand, her wrist just brushing again Jack's chest.

Suddenly, there was life.

Jack's chest rose and fell once. His breathing was still brittle, shaky, but it was _there._

Dean smiled hopefully.

"Jack?" he asked tentatively.

Jack wheezed, and his breathing went faint for a moment. Then it steadied, and he seemed to simply be asleep.

Dean sighed in relief and wiped his face. He hugged Chloe, for no reason whatsoever.

He immediately felt ashamed.

Emily.

And then his relief was replaced by rage once more. Images flooded his mind, of that moment when he'd seen the bullet go through her in slow motion.

He stalked off, leaving his sleeping brother on the couch.

But Jack Regan did not sleep peacefully.


	5. The Dreams of Jack Regan

**Hey everyone! So, after this chapter I'll be starting A Brave New World, just so you know.**

**And also, just so you know, this whole chapter is a big shitload of foreshadowing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

Jack woke in darkness.

He felt around wildly for a moment, and found the floor was stone, before exhaling deeply. He calmed himself down and glanced around.

His eyes fixed on a patch of dark, darker than the rest.

He heard a wet, slithering noise.

"What…?" he muttered, and stood. He cautiously approached the section of the…cave, he determined.

Suddenly, green light blinded him, shining out from the darker-than-dark. The light was various places on what Jack could now see were the outline of a monster.

It was like a slug, with five spikes protruding from its back.

He heard a voice then, Dean's voice. It echoed through the cavern, and the creature growled, coiling.

"_He said one name before he died. While he fell with me."_

"Dean!" Jack yelled, turning around, stepping back from the readying Pokémon in the cavern. The green and white glowing hexagons on its head glowed ever more intensely, and it lowered its head. The ground shook.

"_Zygarde."_

"He'll be fine." Chloe insisted as she took a sip of tea, for the fifth time. Dean nodded distractedly.

This was…what, the third? The fourth? This was the third or fourth time Jack had died.

And come back.

Dean stood, and took one last look around at his Pokémon, and Chloe, and Jack. Then he strode to the door.

"I need some air," he said briskly before blasting off the pavement and into the sky. He saw that it had been snowing while he was inside apparently.

He landed after flying aimlessly for a few minutes, on a broad concrete rooftop.

Suddenly, he heard something strange.

A deep, but somehow high pitched sort of moo, like a whale and a bird.

He glanced around warily, lighting fire in his hands. He took a step back as the mooing grew ever louder.

Suddenly, a the black sky was cut by a gash of white light and something huge emerged through it.

Something Dean could only recognize as a Lugia.

It spread its wings out wide, and the beast's true scope was revealed. It was massive, easily superior in size to Ho-Oh, and its hand-like wings were lined with muscle. It dipped its head and let out a screech after looking at its surroundings.

"_Brother! Brother!" _bellowed a female voice inside Dean's mind. "_Where are you, my brother?!" _

For a moment, Dean wasn't sure what the hell Lugia was talking about. Then he realized. Ho-Oh. Of course.

"Listen, Lugia!" Dean shouted up. Lugia was obviously scared out of her wits. The Pokémon world must still be collapsing, and now, after seeing that, she ends up a stranger in a strange land.

The titanic Pokémon didn't seem to have heard him.

"_Brother!" _she continued to shout.

OK, Dean thought. Now he was getting annoyed. He charged a Signal Beam in his hands, a low-powered move so as not to harm Lugia too much. He fired and it hit her upside the head.

_Now _she was bloody listening.

Lugia turned and simply gave a swing of one hand-like appendage and a gust of wind was kicked up that was so strong, Dean was sent crashing through the window of the adjacent building.

"Hope you can pay for that." Dean muttered to the aghast family watching him smash through the window. He stood up and flew back out of the window pane.

"_Ho-Oh. Get out here. You may want to see this." _Dean growled telepathically as he rose up level with Lugia.

"Hey! You! Listen up!" Dean shouted over the din of the ferocious winds that the legendary had created.

Lugia turned, eyes narrowed.

"_WHERE AM I?!" _she hissed.

"Another world. We'll explain later, just please, land and we can talk!" Dean said.

Ho-Oh suddenly appeared, in a vortex of blue flame. Lugia turned to him.

"_Brother?"_

The cave had fallen away, suddenly non-existent, and Jack now stood in a massive golden room. In front of him were three huge doors, covered in red chains.

Each door bore a circular symbol with hundreds of lines coming out. The shapes looked strangely familiar to Jack. One symbol, the one on the door at the far left, was red. The one on the right was blue. The one in the middle was yellow.

Suddenly, a door at the far side of the room exploded open and the legend Jack knew as Palkia staggered in. The Water/Dragon looked haggard and wounded. The pearls on its shoulders were cracked and flickered with a violet light.

Dialga, equally damaged, steel appendages rusted and diamond shattered, plodded in afterwards.

"We have to stop the collapse from reaching here!" Dialga growled, looking at the three sealed doors in something akin to horror.

Palkia nodded and took a step back, standing firm.

"If the three Old Ones are released, then billions will die." Palkia nodded. She was recognizably female, but her voice was still deep.

Suddenly, white light shone through the doors that the two gods of space and time had come through.

Jack tried to yell, but found when he moved his mouth no sound came out.

"Keep it back! If the seals are broken - …!" Palkia began, charging a Spacial Rend, but then the white light arced forward and hit her shoulder.

The white ensnared her whole form and when it retracted she was gone.

"No…" Dialga said, sounding awestruck. "Giratina, you bastard…you've killed Arceus. You collapsed the Hall of Origin, the one barrier separating worlds…you've doomed us all."

Dialga roared and the universe roared with him, matter itself seeming to collapse and explode around him. Jack felt none of it. He stepped back as the white light approached Dialga.

The very air seemed to be on fire, slicing through the oncoming light, and time seemed to be in flux, rapidly slowing and quickening. This, Jack realized, was Roar of Time.

Eventually though, the light overcame the Temporal Pokémon and he too, vanished in its wake.

And then, with a gasp, Jack Regan woke up.

Douglas Snow leaned back in his chair on his private jet over London, fingers laced.

Donegan strode up to him, taking a seat across from him.

"Sir. A new Pokémon has breached. They're calling it Lugia. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for to test the Patriot's device." The mercenary told him. Douglas raised an eyebrow, fascinated.

"Lugia, you say?" he asked. "Interesting. And mutually beneficial. The Patriot gets his test, and I get a legend…" he smiled. Then he checked his watch, and nodded.

"Hmm. Yes. Give the order. Project CORRUPTION begins beta testing now."

**There we go! I do love my Project 'insert name here'. RENEGADE. Z-0. Anyway, enjoy! Next, look out for A Brave New World!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I do, however, own you. Yes, you. You on the computer/phone/tablet there, reading this. I mean you. I'm onto you, you know. I know where you been. **

**I know.**

Dean heard the monster before he saw it.

There was a high-pitched squeal, like a thousand voices giggling together, coming from above him. He paid it no heed at first. Probably just his telepathy hearing stray thoughts.

Then he saw the purple lights, behind the grey clouds that had gathered over London on Lugia's arrival.

Lugia and Ho-Oh were deep in their own telepathic conversation, seemingly talking through some kind of private legend-y means that Dean couldn't understand.

And then the sky was split by a blaze of purple and hell started raining down.

Metal claws shot from above, ten tendrils, each with four claws at the end. They shot towards Lugia at blinding speed.

She managed to eviscerate one with what looked like a Hyper Beam, but she stopped to recharge and nine others clamped onto her legs, wings, tail and neck, and her back.

They apparently were extremely heavy, as the massive Pokémon was sent crashing down through the roof of the apartment building she hovered above.

Then, something lowered from the sky. A metal cylinder, short in height but wide, with hundreds of what Dean thought were, at first, golf balls on the underside.

When he flew closer, he saw what they really were. Hundreds of Unown eyes.

Ho-Oh launched himself at the machine, but was staved off by a Psychic blast.

The Unown eyes suddenly glowed purple, and so did Lugia's. For a moment, it looked like she was in ferocious pain…then she looked afraid.

Her eyes went blood red, entirely.

Douglas Snow snapped his fingers when he heard the phone ring. It was a practised instinct, born of years of never having to answer a phone in his life.

When he snapped his fingers, a hologram opened in front of him. He smiled slightly. Holograms were yet another pioneering technology that Avalanche had patented, but were only going to release if they went bankrupt.

The screen showed a chair with its back to him. The top of a head was all that could be seen, but Douglas knew well who it was.

"Sir," Douglas drawled, irritated that he should ever have to call somebody 'sir'. His fear outweighed his irritation, however.

"Douglas." responded the Patriot.

"You've began testing on CORRUPTION, yes?" the Patriot asked.

"On Lugia, sir. Now I was wondering, when the test concludes, if I could - …" Douglas began, but the Patriot interrupted him.

"I would advise hastily getting out of there. Half of London is about to become rubble," the Patriot said, sounding oddly happy about the prospect.

"What?" Douglas asked, immediately righting himself from his slouched position. This was ridiculous. "Why?"

"Lugia has a Psychic failsafe. Ingrained by Arceus himself. If Lugia's mind were to ever become compromised, she _turns." _the Patriot elaborated, implicitly calm. He lifted a hand and rested his chin on his knuckles.

Douglas gritted his teeth. He wasn't having this crap. He was one of the richest men to ever live. He was a CEO. Fortune 500.

He was _bloody in charge._

"Turns…into…_what, _exactly?" Douglas asked, barely keeping the rage out of his voice

"Shadow Lugia, Douglas. A raw engine of mass destruction."

"But it doesn't make sense! You just had me test CORRUPTION for nothing! That's millions of pounds down the bloody drain!" Snow bellowed, shattering his champagne glass in his grip.

He wiped the shards from his suit pants. He took a breath.

He was composed once more.

"That's all you wanted out of this, isn't it, _sir?" _he hissed. "You _feed _on destruction. You knew that The Corruption's psychic mind control was fully operational all along, didn't you? You just wanted people to die."

"I am _so_ hungry, Mr Snow. Tell me, when was the last time you went hungry?" the Patriot asked.

Douglas was tempted to answer honestly and smirk, say 'never'. But he bit his lip and stayed silent.

"Exactly. Goodbye, Mr Snow. Don't tell them let on where I am quite yet."

And the hologram vanished.

Douglas seethed.

Dean watched in horror as Lugia's skin spread with black veins of colour that expanded until her whole body was pure, jet black. Her blue scale-like formation around her eyes and on her back and tail went a metallic grey.

She threw back her head and roared, before turning to the Unown-eyed machine.

She charged a Hyper Beam, and let loose the orange cascade of light. It cleaved the malevolent mechanism in two…

…along with all the buildings behind it for about a kilometre.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled and flew up high as Lugia dipped her head, taking a breath. Recharging, Dean realized.

Ho-Oh rose up beside him with a single wingbeat.

"_I never thought this would happen again." _Ho-Oh muttered sorrowfully.

"Never thought what would happen?!" Dean yelled. "You knew about this?!"

"_Shadow Lugia. A failsafe installed by Arceus at the dawn of time itself. When Lugia was created, Arceus instilled her with such power that she could tear the very world apart. He realized that if anyone was to ever take control of Lugia, he would need…an insurance policy, of sorts. This is the insurance policy. Designed to raze everything around her to the ground for three hundred and seventy five days."_

Dean's mouth fell.

"Three hundred and…a year and ten days? Like…like biblical flood length?" Dean asked. "Can't we stop her?"

Ho-Oh averted his eyes.

"_Not without killing her."_

Dean looked down just as Lugia looked up.

"Then I'm sorry, Ho-Oh. I really am."

And then, all three of them, all at once, the legends sprang.


	7. Chapter 7

**OK, so after a bout of writer's block, much stressing, and eventual acceptance, I have decided to put A Brave New World off until after FOTP. It is an idea I still definitely want to do, and I am really into, but Wolfsthrope van Schlieffen cautioned me against doing two at the same time, so I reconsidered.**

**But it **_**will **_**be my next fic.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKÉMON**

"Sit down!" Chloe insisted, grabbing Jack's arm as he stood, and began walking to the door of the apartment.

"No." Jack shook his head, his voice shaky, but determined all the same. He shook Chloe off and gripped the doorknob.

"You nearly died! Sit the hell down, you bloody maniac!" Chloe said pulling him back. Jack's already-disfigured face was further contorted in rage.

"_Yeah. About that." _He snarled. "See, Chloe, I was just about conscious before I stabilized and went to sleep. I saw exactly what happened," he said.

Chloe took a step back, her eyes going from shocked to wary.

"What did you see?" she asked gravely.

"I saw Dean put his hand on my chest. Then I saw _you _take his hand, and your arm just about brushed me, and guess what?" he hissed, and spread his arms. "Here I am! Alive, when anyone else would have died ten times over! AGAIN!"

"Jack. I'll explain everything to you, just don't let Dean know about - …!" Chloe began, deadly serious and then she paused.

A red laser sight hovered over Jack's forehead.

"What?" he asked.

"You're being aimed at. A sniper. Don't. Move." Chloe muttered. "Duck."

And then the window shattered as a bullet sailed over Jack's head, Jack himself having rolled out of the way at the last second. He snatched up his handgun off an armchair and aimed it out the window, firing thrice.

He saw the sniper, a black-clad man on the opposite roof, buckle with his hands clasped around his shoulder.

The door of the apartment was suddenly flung off his hinges and Donegan, the huge, bald man from the Avalanche building, stalked in.

"You recovered fast," Jack said, aiming his handgun at the man's head.

"Injuries mean little if you have even one Pokémon with Heal Bell, or Wish, or anything of that ilk. The world's changed, Regan." Donegan answered. Suddenly, his Scizor blurred out from behind him and was suddenly gripping Chloe in a chokehold. "Lay down your gun." Donegan demanded.

Jack hesitated.

Then he turned in one fluid motion and fired on Scizor. The bullet didn't kill the Pokémon, but after a loud crack, it obviously had the Steel/Bug type disoriented.

Chloe slipped free of its grip and grabbed a chair, swinging it at Scizor's legs. The Pokémon was swept off its feet and hit the ground.

Donegan snarled and threw a punch at Jack, but he darted back and fired on the larger man, who dodged nimbly out of the way.

Jack lunged and hooked Donegan across the jaw, sending him stumbling. Chloe had vanished, strangely.

"The hell…?!" Jack snarled as Donegan snatched his wrist, and gave him a sound punch across the face. He then cracked an elbow off of Jack's temple and the older Regan brother toppled, his whole world spinning.

Donegan pulled a Taser from his belt and lowered it to Jack's face.

"You're lucky my employer wants you alive. If I had my way, you'd be having another close encounter with Conkeldurr's pillar." He snarled and jammed it into Jack's chest.

Jack's muscles seized, he screamed with a raw throat, and the last thing he saw before passing into another bout of unconsciousness was a multi-coloured blur hitting Donegan like a truck.

Dean tore a car that had smashed through the third storey of an office building out with his telekinesis before hurling it up at the demonic thing that wasn't Lugia at all.

The car was shredded as soon as it got near, by an even stronger psychic force. Lugia turned as Ho-Oh dived towards her, and launched a Hydro Pump his way.

Ho-Oh let out a screech and with a single wingbeat, a Heat Wave burned outwards and evaporated the Water type attack in an instant.

Lugia didn't seem too bothered. She, or rather, it, simply roared and thrust out a wing that hit Ho-Oh so hard the Rainbow Pokémon spun and began spiralling towards the ground.

Dean caught his ally with a Psychic attack and let loose a Hydro Pump of his own from his left hand, gathering the moisture in the air and supercharging it with energy.

Lugia's mouth seemed to curl into an almost playful smile, and it met Dean's attack with one of its own.

There was a torrential explosion of water when they met in mid-air.

Lugia then threw its head back, and the winds suddenly kicked up.

"_Dean. Leave me. You have bigger problems - …!" _Ho-Oh called as he noticed that Dean had slowed down with the effort of lifting him.

"What do you mean - …oh." Dean gaped up. Cars, trucks, streetlamps and even people and Pokémon were now spinning in a visible funnel of wind above Lugia's gaping maw. Suddenly, the top two storeys of a nearby bookstore were torn up and joined the other miscellaneous objects in the sky.

"I always wondered," Dean said, awed, "what made a big blast of wind so dangerous. I always wondered why Aeroblast was so strong."

Suddenly, the spinning of the wind funnel sped up, and the screams of its victims were lost to the noise of a booming gale.

A blast of wind fired out at Dean and he desperately threw up a Protect before it all went black.


	8. Out of Mercy

**Hey! So, as I'm sure Blue-Eyed Cat is aware, I'm going to be making up in full for my lack of character death in Thinking with Portals in this fic…**

…**and it begins. Now.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKÉMON!  
**

Dean awoke to the sound of a momentous crack.

When he managed to raise his throbbing, aching head, he saw that he law in the rubble of a redbrick building. He groaned and blasted the bricks and shards of glass away from him before standing and looking up at the sky.

Lugia and Ho-Oh, along with Salamence, Aegislash and Reshiram, who had joined in, were clashing in the air above London.

"Damn it," he said, and pulled his right leg from the pile of bricks it was lodged under. That Aeroblast had been ridiculously powerful. Dean wasn't sure that his Pokémon stood a chance, even together.

He leapt, blasting into the air with a massive ball of fire that dwarfed himself raised above his head. Lugia glanced down at him and it narrowed its eyes, which shone an even brighter shade of that sinister red.

The fireball suddenly exploded in Dean's hands. Despite the shocking heat and surprise, he kept on barrelling upwards and slammed into Lugia's chin, making the massive draconic Pokémon reel back.

"_Where are the Eons?" _I sent to Ho-Oh.

"Trying to see if Snow is anywhere near here! Now be quiet and fight!" Reshiram called bluntly, having obviously intercepted the telepathic message.

Dean was taken aback by the sudden rage, but did what she said.

Ho-Oh's eyes seemed to have dissolved, replaced with pure, red flames. His glorious feathers were now trailing fire behind them. He looked like the very face of rage itself.

Dean couldn't blame him. If _his _sibling was turned into an engine of destruction, then Dean would…

And then it occurred to him that that was exactly what Jack had gone through with him.

Dean's thoughts were interrupted when Lugia kicked out at him, and he only narrowly dodged the it. Aegislash swooped in with an Aerial Ace and cut a long gash across Lugia's thigh.

An unearthly screech was let loose from Lugia and she sent out a gust of wind that sent Aegislash rocketing down into the road.

Reshiram launched a Dragon Pulse and Lugia met it with an Ice Beam. The attack's clashed for but an instant before Reshiram was hit and launched backwards.

"Sorry, Lugia…" Dean muttered and raised his hand. A sphere of orange burst out of his palm and soared into the clouds.

"_I CAN SAVE HER!" _Ho-Oh screeched, suddenly desperate. Dean shook his head sadly. Ho-Oh's burning eyes suddenly took on a blue shade.

He spread his wings and a torrent of fire, hundreds of times larger than any Fire type move Dean had ever seen, erupted outwards.

Lugia was caught full on and launched back through a skyscraper, through another, until it slammed into what Dean realized was the Shard. Dean blasted over to see if it, if _she, _was still alive. If Ho-Oh had indeed saved her.

Dean put a hand on her scorched neck.

Breath. Laboured, wheezing, weak, but breath nonetheless.

"_I've done it. Call…call off the Judgement." _Ho-Oh commanded, landing on the heap of broken glass that had once been the tenth floor.

"Is she unconscious?" Dean asked, his voice showing no emotion.

"_I believe so." _Ho-Oh nodded.

And then Lugia reared up and fired a Hyper Beam straight through Ho-Oh's chest.

Dean looked as Ho-Oh's blazing eyes cleared, and for a moment, he could've sworn the legendary was crying. It was like time slowed for a minute, and Ho-Oh toppled off the wrecked tenth floor in slow motion.

Then he was gone, with a resounding, sickening, thud from below.

Dean closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to Lugia, who had risen above him.

"Get down here." He growled to himself and clenched a fist.

Suddenly, three thousand tons of psychic power dropped on Lugia's back and smashed it down through the floor, through the next and the next until it slammed down on the ground floor. Cracks spread on the tiles upon impact.

Dean lowered himself down, red eyes aglow with cold fury. Red energy writhed around him in tendrils, stabbing out and swinging randomly.

Dean raised a hand and a Thunderbolt blasted down from the sky. The electricity hit his hand, and he held it there, wielding the bolt like Zeus himself.

Lugia tried to move, but couldn't. The psychic assault had obviously crushed its spine and it was bleeding out.

But Dean gave it no quarter. He mounted Lugia's crushed chest and drove the lightning bolt through, a jolt of super effective electricity tearing through the legendary. The lightning bolt jammed in the ground and pinned the wounded Pokémon.

"I'm going to ask you a simple question." Dean muttered, his voice quiet but angry. With every syllable, red energy lashed out from him and lacerated Lugia.

"I want to know, if something of you is still in there. I want to know if you're _sorry." _Dean snarled. "Answer me."

For a moment, Lugia examined him like it might have actually understood, like it might be sorry.

Then it screeched and launched a weak Dragon Pulse that fizzled out almost as soon as it was launched.

Dean rose into the air.

"Then I'm out of mercy."

The sky flashed orange and Dean smashed out of the building as a pillar of burning light tore Lugia to shreds.


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so sorry for the long wait. I had to go on a week-long holiday to another, internet-less place.**

**It was horrible but I am back.**

**Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKÉMON**

Dean floated back to the ground and telepathically called Aegislash and the others to his position. Reshiram touched down and was about to say something when she saw Ho-Oh's body.

"How…?" she said, unable to comprehend what she saw. "Dean. _How?"_

Dean shook his head.

"Lugia. She…_it…_killed him. Hyper Beam through the chest." Dean answered, his tone bitter. Aegislash dipped his sword-head respectfully.

Salamence growled.

"_Where is Lugia?" _Salamence asked.

"Dead," Dean answered. "I killed it."

Almost simultaneously, every one of Dean's Pokémon recoiled with something akin to horror.

Except for Reshiram, then, who seemed to have come to some sort of dark realization.

"Was there another way? Did she…transform?" the Vast White Pokémon asked.

She obviously knew about Shadow Lugia, about the damage it could cause.

"No." Dean shook his head. "She was too far gone."

Reshiram nodded, seeming to accept this. The Eons lowered themselves next to him.

"_I saw what happened," _Latios said sadly. He too, obviously, understood. "_I'm sorry."_

Dean nodded.

"I am as well. But there was nothing else to be done." He answered. "It was her or London."

Dean straightened up then, and looked around. Then he remembered.

"I have to get back to the apartment. Jack and Chloe could've been hurt in the fight," he said and kicked off the ground, blasting over the rooftops of the devastated city.

"Listen," Chloe said gravely, sitting across from Jack in a large leather armchair. "Before I tell you about…me…I need you to understand that Dean can't know this. Not ever."

Jack raised his one eyebrow that wasn't singed off.

"Why?" he asked. After being awakened, he'd asked Chloe to explain why and how she'd disappeared earlier, and what the blue blur he'd seen that seemingly devastated his attackers was.

Chloe faltered at his question. She sighed.

"He isn't meant to know." She told him. "If he does…God knows what'll happen."

Jack paused. He narrowed his eyes. Could he really keep a secret from Dean like this?

And now that he thought about it, with Dean's power, was keeping a secret from him even possible?

"Fine." He determined, leaning back. "Now explain." He demanded.

Chloe nodded, muttered "Better to just show you," and stood. Jack instinctively went for a gun that had belonged to the now-unconscious-and-in-the-corner Donegan.

In a blast of light that suddenly exploded from her, Chloe was gone.

And Jack gaped.

Because what replaced her, in all its majesty, was a massive, cobalt-skinned, bejewelled horned, Pokémon. Xerneas, the legendary stag-like Fairy type.

"Son of a bitch."

Xerneas, or Chloe, dipped her head to prevent her horns piercing the ceiling.

"_Allow me to explain, Jack."_

Jack stood, eyes wide.

"But…this is impossible. Dean's known you for years. From school, he's…he's known you since before Pokémon emerged into our world in the first place! _I _remember Chloe!" Jack protested, bewildered.

"_There never _was _a Chloe McAvoy. We came through first. When the universe was nothing. Me and my…brother." _Xerneas explained. "_I have lived that false life for fourteen years because I had to."_

"What the hell do you mean?!" Jack yelled.

"_Listen." _Xerneas boomed forcefully. "_Thirteen billion years ago, what human scientists define as 'the Big Bang', was false. Arceus, you see, made his first creations, myself and Yveltal, to bring Life and Death to the universe, his universe. But he was young, and he made a mistake. He gave us power, too much. Far greater than his own. And he failed to realize, being two opposites, two constants, that we would always be engaged in a never-ceasing battle. Yveltal and I fought until eventually, I hurled him _through _the barrier between worlds. We were both thrown through, and Arceus sealed the door behind us."_

"So? What does this have to do with the Big Bang, and us, and you hiding for a decade and a half as a teenager?" Jack snapped. Xerneas glared.

"_When we broke the wall down, between dimensions, I temporarily shattered Time and Space. This was why he made Dialga and Palkia, to heal that wound. And in breaking down Time, I saw the future. Billions of years ago, I saw the events of now. So when Yveltal and I were thrown into the empty space of your universe, causing the energy blast that you call the Big Bang, I knew what I needed to do. I waited. 'Till now. I had seen what I needed to see. I took on the identity of Chloe McAvoy fourteen years ago so that I could fulfil the events of what I'd seen. I've hid from the Patriot until now, because he didn't see what I'd seen…but now that I've revealed myself to you, he'll know." _Xerneas finished.

Jack was open-mouthed.

"So…you saw what happens now? And what's going to happen?" he asked, fury rising in his voice. "You saw, and you didn't tell us?! I lost my face because of you! My parents! And we lost Emily because you didn't warn us! We lost Emily and my brother turned into a monster!" Jack bellowed.

"_I couldn't. And I can't tell you how this will play out. I can only do the role I saw myself doing. Anything else risks destroying the space-time continuum, clichéd as it sounds," _Xerneas said sorrowfully.

Jack was now practically shaking with pure, undiluted fury.

"But you could've…done something. Anything to…" Jack said, an a tear streamed down from his good eye, the eye that could still even cry.

Then he brushed it away and took a deep breath.

"I won't tell Dean. And I won't stop you. But if this ends with The Patriot still alive…I'll kill him, and to hell with the space-time continuum." Jack snarled, and stalked away.

Far away, in a dark room, pure blue eyes snapped open, shining their sinister glow through the black.

He'd smelled it. The scent, from so, so long ago.

The Patriot was sure it'd been her.

After so, so long.

Xerneas was making her move.


	10. Chapter 10

**OK! Hoping to put out a lot of chapters soon, as I left for like a week, and I'm hoping to finish up soon. I have an idea for an Avengers fic, and I can't do two at once very frequently.**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine.**

Douglas Snow remained perfectly still as the plane jerked violently when it hit the ground in Venice Marco Polo Airport. He undid his seatbelt and quickly stood. He motioned for two of his guards to follow him as he made his way out to exit his private jet.

He clenched his fist at his side when he emerged into the cold night. _We don't feel the cold, son. We're the blizzard, the oncoming storm._ That's what his father, Brandon Snow had said to him once, on a business trip to Moscow in the dead of winter.

_We're the oncoming storm, our family._

Well, Douglas had seen the oncoming storm for real. And he knew that it was much bigger than him and his family.

Douglas strode forward, towards two tall, suited men. One was balding, with wisps of red hair here and there, the other was younger, with dark hair.

The younger one was shivering. Obviously, he wasn't professional. First job. Douglas could tell these things, having seen bodyguards come and go all his life.

"Sir." The red haired one nodded to him. "We've been told to escort you to the meeting point from here."

One of Douglas's guards, a broad shouldered, bearded black man called Albert, glanced at him suspiciously. Douglas nodded.

"Alright. Albert here will be accompanying me, though," Snow answered.

The red haired man hesitated, then nodded and gestured to a black SUV parked up alongside the plane.

Douglas walked towards it, and sat in the back seat as the door was opened for him by the younger suited man.

As the engine rumbled to life, Douglas rolled down the window and lit a cigarette from the box in his shirt pocket.

"You can't smoke in here, Mr Snow."

"See if I care."

The driver nodded, somewhat grudgingly.

After about forty-five minutes, the SUV pulled to a halt at the gate of what looked like an old, fallen-into-disrepair manor on the outskirts of Venice.

Douglas exhaled a breath of smoke and put his cigarette back in between his teeth, standing up as the two guards, and Albert, bailed out.

"Excuse me? I was told I would be meeting the Patriot in a secure, high-security facility. What the hell is this?" Snow called.

The red haired guard went to his belt and pulled out a revolver, aiming it at Douglas' head.

"Walk."

Douglas glanced at Albert. After being his main security detail, the bodyguard knew what he meant.

"No." and Douglas flicked the still-lit cigarette from his mouth before jamming it into the younger guard's neck. The boy screamed and Douglas took his gun and put a bullet through his mouth.

Albert pulled a Taser and thrust it into the other guard, who fired at his feet, driving him back.

Douglas fired into the red haired man's shoulder and he cried out, twisting as he fell.

Albert and Douglas stood in silence. Then, urgently, Albert spoke.

"We've been duped, sir. The Patriot betrayed us. We need to get you out of here before - !" and then five black claws, shining like oil, lanced through Albert's chest.

The closest thing Albert had to a friend collapsed, and the Patriot stepped out from behind him, one arm replaced by a glowing red wing.

"Douglas."

Snow picked up the other guard's gun and aimed both weapons at him.

"You killed someone in my employ. You ambushed me. You _betrayed _me. Why?" Douglas spat. The Patriot simply smirked, and twitched a finger.

A red blast of energy erupted from the air in front of Snow and threw him into the air, before landing on the cold ground, winding him. His guns slid across the concrete away from him.

"Because you've done what I wanted. CORRUPTION is ready. The army has already been shipped, I believe?" the Patriot asked, striding forward.

Douglas gritted his teeth, gasping for air as the Patriot loomed over him.

"Yesterday. The deal was closed yesterday, the fleet's reaching London."

The Patriot's smile grew wider and raised a hand.

"So, the deal's been completed. The money I offered you will be transferred to your account presently."

"But you're still going to kill me."

"Now be fair, Douglas, this is how business works. Full of small print. I never said I _wouldn't_ kill you," the Patriot said.

Douglas had to commend his business sense.

"But why? I'm useful, dammit. You want someone like me on your side!" Douglas said, trying to keep the pleading tone from his voice and failing.

The Patriot knelt beside him and raised his clawed wing.

"I have bigger problems than dealing with you, now, Douglas. An old friend has returned, someone who I'm worried will ruin everything if I leave any loose ends. _You. Are. A loose end." _The Patriot hissed.

"I-I have a family." Douglas gasped, his strong façade finally breaking. "I have a son, John. And a daughter, Kate. Please, I just - …!"

And then the claws came down and Douglas finally knew what the cold felt like.


	11. Chapter 11

**I really, really liked last chapter.**

**Just wanted to say.**

**Anyway.**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine.**

Dean landed with a thud outside the apartment and opened the door.

Jack, and Chloe stood inside. The apartment was wrecked, and Donegan was tied up, and now, awake, in the corner.

"Looks like I missed out on all the fun," Dean muttered, lightly kicking Donegan as he passed him, which still must've really hurt.

"You really did," Jack said, shooting a glare at Chloe. She ignored him, but by now, Dean was ignoring both of them and undoing the gag placed around Donegan's mouth with a napkin.

"Why are you here?" Dean asked promptly. "Did the Patriot send you to kill my friends?"

Donegan nodded.

"Do you know where Douglas Snow is?"

Donegan nodded again. He didn't say, though. He was smart. In a position like this, he wasn't to do anything without being asked.

"Where?"

"He's dead."

Dean's eyes widened. He looked at Jack. He shook his head disbelievingly.

"You're lying." Dean shook his head. "Where is he?!" and then Dean slammed Donegan against the wall, cracking it.

"Dead, I swear. I received word before I was captured. The Patriot cut him loose," Donegan said, his tone still impressively controlled, showing no fear.

"Why would he kill him?" Dean questioned. "It doesn't make any sense."

Donegan hesitated. If he answered all this kid's questions, the Patriot would know. He'd find him and he'd feast on his innards for his betrayal.

"You have more immediate problems." Dean hissed and grabbed Donegan by the throat, lifting him up.

Chloe watched in horror. Jack knew it was an act. A convincing one, but an act nonetheless.

"How did you…?" Donegan choked out.

"Read your mind? It's something I can do. One of the many things I can do, one of the many things I can do to make your life a living, waking hell. So now, I'd suggest you tell me what I want to know, because if you don't I will assure, I will take whatever the Patriot is doing to you and I will make it five, ten, a hundred times worse."

"Am I clear?"

Donegan, for a moment, looked terrified. The cold, hardened Irish mercenary was absolutely dumbstruck.

"I'll…tell you…just put me down."

Dean dropped him and he landed with a thud. He gasped for air for a moment, before clearing his throat and looking up.

"He…he killed Douglas because he's about to make his big, final move. He got what he needed, and then he had to remove the loose ends." Donegan wheezed.

"And _what did he need?" _Dean asked, kneeling down to face the mercenary in the eyes.

"An army. And a war. Avalanche Shipping has been bringing crates upon crates of Pokémon and now the last fleet is pulling into the harbour tonight."

Jack took a step forward.

"What makes him think the Pokémon will work for him? He presumably took them from their homes, and they can damn sure resist him if they want to, I'd imagine." He questioned. Donegan laughed nervously.

"What makes you think they're going to have any kind of a choice? That's what Project CORRUPTION was for. You saw it." Donegan directed his statement to Dean. "It made Lugia…change."

Dean remembered. So that was what the machine was. That was why, in the first place, the Patriot and Alexander had cut a deal with the Corruption.

All for this.

"Why? Why does he want a war?" Dean sighed, taking a step back. He was tired. So tired of all of it.

"Because in all wars, there will be death. And that's…well, the way he explained it was…he eats it. He feeds off the death and rage and sadness of everyone and everything. And once he's had his fill, he'll be able to unleash a new reign of destruction on the world and he'll gain even more power. And then, he starts all over again."

Jack looked aghast. Dean looked angry.

Chloe looked like she was just reminded of a past failure.

And Donegan made a decision.

"I want to help stop him," the mercenary blurted out suddenly. "I am sorry for what I've done to you all. But I want to help you stop him."

Dean laughed. "You're only saying that because the other option is me ripping out your lungs."

Donegan gritted his teeth. It was true. He didn't want to die. He had taken the Patriot's contract for the money, but now, as well as that, he didn't want everyone else to die either.

"I…I want to help."

Chloe stepped forward.

"Give him a chance, Dean."

Dean turned.

"Are you serious?" he said, angry. "Are you joking? He's a killer, a _contract killer, _Chloe. Remember what he did to Jack? He's gonna stab us in the back the second we turn."

"I think he deserves a second chance, is all," Chloe said. "Like the chance Jack gave you after you killed Erik Temple."

Dean knew she was right.

"Get up. Get up before I change my mind," Dean said without turning back to Donegan. The assassin gladly did as he was requested to.

"Thank you," Chloe said.

Dean nodded.

"Now, how long 'till the fleet arrives?" he asked, facing Donegan once more.

Donegan looked at the old fashioned clock on the countertop near the fridge. "Can't be more than half an hour. He'll have CORRUPTION on standby, ready to deploy."

"We have to go then." Dean whirled and made for the door. "I'll call the Pokémon, tell them to be ready."

"Where's Yveltal now? Is he in London?" Jack asked.

"Venice. But he'll be flying in I'd imagine, to see his work completed," Donegan replied. "As soon as he arrives I'll know where he is."

Dean nodded.

"Then let's go to war."


	12. The Last Battle, Pt 1

**Welcome back.**

**And welcome to die.**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine.**

Dean landed on the rooftop of an old Mexican bar that had remained untouched in Lugia's desolating rampage. The cracked sign read 'Dova's'.

Not the best place to rally an army, but it'd do.

He fired a blast of orange light into the sky, and it blazed behind the clouds for a split second.

It was enough.

In an instant, the Eons were there, soaring over the rooftops and pulling to a halt in front of him. Reshiram touched down soon after, the clouds parting after a burst of flame. Aegislash was on her back. As Dean looked at them, he thought of all the people who should've been there. All the people who'd been lost. Ho-Oh. Alakazam. Darkrai.

Emily.

Jack climbed up from the fire escape a moment later, pulling Chloe after him.

"That's everyone?" Dean asked, glancing around.

"No." And for once, Jack smiled. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. A shadow was cast over the roof and Dean glanced up.

An Articuno soared over head, Donegan riding astride it. Behind was a flock of Staraptor and Pidgeot. Suddenly, two hands gripped the side of the roof and an Electivire vaulted up, followed by an Elekid. An Azumarill and a Lucario followed.

"I gave you _ten minutes." _Dean almost laughed out loud. This was amazing.

"I've outdone myself." Jack looked thoroughly chuffed.

Chloe chuckled. Dean then cleared his throat and rose into the air.

"Alright. Since everyone is now definitely in attendance, this is where we'll make our stand. You're now my army now, all of you. If any of you had a family, I should hope you said goodbye." He was addressing the Pokémon. He and Jack certainly didn't have anyone to say goodbye to. And Chloe had come along so willingly, Dean wondered whether she even cared about her family.

"The Patriot…Yveltal, he is everything I despise. He is everything that has ever plagued me. He lives only so that we might not, and he is more powerful than even I know. But beyond that, he is one thing. One thing that will give us the edge."

"He is a living, breathing being."

The crowd of Pokémon seemed to stop. They hung on Dean's every word. Jack had never realized what an orator his brother was. He had to respect him, even if he was calling these Pokémon to their deaths.

"But you know what?!" Dean yelled.

"_WE'RE SURE AS HELL GONNA FIX THAT!"_

And his army roared their approval, the Flying types screeching, the Electivire growling savagely.

"He will take your homes from you! He will burn this city and your loved ones along with it! That's all he wants, and will you let him _get what he wants?!"_

There was a telepathic chorus of '_No!'_

"NO! So now we will meet him in battle and we'll show him, we'll show Death, what pain really is!" Dean finished, raising a clenched fist into the air. Chloe watched on sadly as the Pokémon cheered at the prospect of their doom.

"They're coming."

The Patriot stood on the edge of the dock, watching the cloud of Pokémon progress over London towards them.

He stood behind a blockade, made up of armoured cars, Land Rovers, trucks, and two actual, proper tanks. He was quite used to getting what he wanted, but tanks were still impressive commodities.

His men were positioned all down the dock, a black-clad wall with weapons of enough power to burn the city to the ground. They'd been ground zero for CORRUPTION, the _real_ test. Far less valuable than Pokémon, human beings.

A legion of ships was behind him. On the deck were heaps upon heaps of crates, each carrying around fifty Pokémon. Above, being carried through the air by a Gyarados, was the CORRUPTION device. It would set off upon Regan's arrival, and _then, _then Yveltal would see if Dean was ready to be feasted on.

But first, the war.

He glanced up and motioned for one of his men to go for one of the cranes set up on the dock. The man climbed into it and moments later, a massive shipping crate was slammed down in front of Yveltal.

He went to it and tore the side of with a blast of red energy. Inside, growling at him, was his secret weapon.

The Beast Trio, as they were called here on this world.

He lifted Raikou, Entei and Suicune out of the crate with a Psychic attack. They kicked and roared and blasted Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, but their resistance was fruitless.

The Patriot's eyes suddenly shone a bright blue, and a moment later, so did the three legendary Pokémon's.

And then they stopped their struggling.

He lowered them back down.

"You'll be the front line," he smiled.

"Now go and die."

**I am back.**


	13. The Last Battle, Pt 2

***At this point in time, you may wish to play an epic song. I Am the Doctor, for instance, or Carry On Wayward Son***

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine, luckily for everyone in it.**

"Incoming," Donegan called over from Articuno. Dean looked up to see a yellow blur blasting towards them through the air.

"I have it."

Dean leapt off of Reshiram but before he knew it the yellow blur was on him, claws shredding his clothes. He twisted and sent a tendril of red energy out that sliced into the thing, drawing blood. Then, he saw what it was as it fell back.

"_Raikou," _Reshiram said solemnly. "_Yveltal has legends of his own."_

The Electric legendary landed on its feet on a rooftop below, just looking over the docks.

Then Dean saw the army. "Son of a bitch."

It was vast. Lines and lines of black-clad soldiers stood, each bearing various weapons and Poké Balls. Heavy-duty vehicles were parked behind them, and cage upon cage of Pokémon stood further back.

"_Go," _Dean messaged telepathically to the legion of Pokémon behind him, blasting down to Raikou. "_I'll catch up. Give 'em hell."_

Reshiram roared, throwing back her head and launching a torrent of fire at the Patriot's line of soldiers.

The first shot in humanity's first Pokémon war, Dean realized. A swarm of bullets rose like insects in response. Dean slammed onto the rooftop and Raikou growled, hunkering down.

"Stop," Dean said simply. One chance.

Raikou lunged, canines crackling with electricity. Dean sighed and rammed into the Electric type, sending it sprawling. He strode towards it as it growled, having been flipped onto its back.

Dean raised a fist but suddenly, when he moved to bring it down, he found it was frozen solid. Suicune moved from behind. Its eyes shone blue, just like Raikou's.

"Oh no."

Raikou got up, and tossed its head angrily before charging an electric sphere of energy between its jaws.

"Just my luck," Dean muttered before he was hit full in the chest, and sent careening down into the alleyway below, head smashing into the walls of the building next door as he fell.

He was dazed, but not so dazed as to miss the shadow that loomed over him. He turned, and looked up.

Above him, eyes glowing that eerie blue, was Entei.

Dean stood, catching Entei in the teeth with his fist as he did, and the Fire type was sent rearing up.

Raikou and Suicune landed in the alley behind him.

He sent out three spears of red power, each lancing towards a legendary beast. Suicune managed to avoid it, ducking down, but Raikou was opened up along its chest and fell. Entei sent a jet of flame at the third spear, fending it off.

Dean glanced at Raikou's corpse, which bled profusely, as the blue light faded from its eyes.

"I hope it hurt, Yveltal."

Entei launched himself towards Dean, cloaked in harsh blue fire. Dean was ready. He met the attack with a yellow sphere of energy, a Dragon Rage that slowed the legendary lion's momentum. The flames flickered out before Entei reached him and the Fire type crunched into the pavement at Dean's feet.

Suicune gave a low growl and a multi-coloured stream of light burst forth from its mouth. The Aurora Beam hit Dean in the shoulder and sent him spinning. His back hit the wall, cracking it.

Suicune launched a Hydro Pump and Dean dived out of the way as the super-pressurized stream collapsed the brick.

He came up and cracked a shoulder into Entei's face, sending him back.

Dean charged a Dragon Pulse and released it directly into the Pokémon's mouth.

Entei fell.

The Patriot twisted the neck of a Staraptor and paused, drinking in its life energy as it left the Pokémon's body, flaring up one last time.

He'd feasted well already today, and the battle had only begun. Raikou and Entei were dead, he felt it. That had been good. Violent. _Delicious._

He watched Reshiram tear up the ranks of humans, tossing them into the air, scorching them left, right and centre.

He wondered if they even realized that they were only feeding him further. He hadn't moved from his position behind the blockade, simply killing whatever came too near. The cages of Pokémon had to remain unbroken until the very last moment.

Until Dean was there to watch his great failure.

Yveltal casually tilted his head as a bullet whizzed past. Jack Regan was back-to-back with that traitorous wretch Donegan, and they were both handily dispatching soldier after soldier.

The Patriot almost laughed. There he was, Jack Regan, the only decent person left on Dean's side, and he was there, back-to-back with a born-and-raised mercenary who'd made his first kill at ten.

Yveltal was interrupted from his thoughts as an Electivire barrelled toward him, cloaked in electricity. He caught it by the tails and pulled, swinging it up before smashing the Pokémon head first into the ground. It was dead on impact, and the Patriot drank that in as well. Not as clean as the Staraptor's, and far more filling.

Aegislash soared towards him. Oh, this was going to be good. One of Dean's oldest and best.

As it came towards him, the Patriot spread out a dome of pure, undiluted, crushing heat around him. As Aegislash dived at him, it melted, from tip to hilt, reduced to slag.

"_Hurry up, Dean. I've got a surprise." _The Patriot grinned as he sent the telepathic message.

Then he turned to see Reshiram, stalking toward him.

Suicune was proving to be more difficult than Dean anticipated.

The wolf Pokémon's horn was cracked, and its leg twisted, and its ribs actually _sticking out _of its side.

But it wouldn't stay down.

Dean was just about to leave the Pokémon and join his friends in battle when Suicune sprang suddenly, pinning him down. The Water type's face was inches from his, charging a Hydro Pump ready to crush his skull…

…when suddenly, a sphere of psychically-charged mist went right through its head. The corpse slumped, and Dean stood.

Latios floated above him.

"_There wasn't another way."_

"I know." Dean turned away and launched a Hyper Beam that caved in the ceiling. He soared up into the air.

"_Hurry up, Dean. I've got a surprise."_

He blasted towards the docks, Latios in tow, just in time to see a Gyarados arc down from the clouds. Suspended beneath it by six ropes was the CORRUPTION device, the one that had been used to turn Lugia into a weapon of terror.

"_Your army is gathered, Dean. Now watch them turn."_

"No."

The CORRUPTION mechanism's many eyes glowed purple and a blast of the same coloured light rippled out, encompassing the docks.

Dean managed to defend his own mind, as did Latios. He landed on the docks to see the humans lying down, unconscious. Jack was on his knees, just about standing. In the air, Reshiram and the Patriot were blasting torrents of flame and energy.

"_Watch."_

Dean looked up. He saw one of his Staraptor rise. It seemed weak at first. Dean was about to ask it what had happened, what the device did…

…when he saw its eyes turn a dark purple.


	14. The Fall

**Penultimate chapter, buddies.**

**And guess what?**

**GUESS WHAT?**

_**GUESS WHAT, EVERYONE?**_

_**SOMEBODY IS GOING TO THE BIG COMIC-CON IN THE SKY.**_

**Disclaimer: Pokémon isn't mine.**

Reshiram was losing. Badly.

She'd been fighting the Patriot for what must've been fifteen minutes by now, and he hadn't taken a single injury. The torrents of fire hit him and dispersed, and he simply smiled. They didn't even singe his coat.

Reshiram, meanwhile, had taken blow after blow, each punch, each kick seeming to take the very life from her. Which of course, it did.

And then CORRUPTION had activated.

It had taken all she had to resist the device's control, and while she'd been focusing on not trying kill her friends, the Patriot had landed a crushing blow, snapping the bones of her left wing. She was exerting herself to even remain airborne, using all the telekinetic power at her command. She could see Dean battling his own army below, Jack and Donegan struggling to fight them all off, even with help from the Eons. Reshiram saw no sign of Chloe, however.

The Pokémon from the Patriot's cages had broken loose, and, controlled by the CORRUPTION device, were making their way up to towards the city.

Reshiram roared.

The Patriot simply swerved out of the way of another stream of fire, before swooping in close and firing off a Dark Pulse from his hands. Reshiram toppled back, flipping over and over in mid-air. She righted herself just in time to have the Patriot's kick hit her straight in the chest.

She felt her ribs splinter.

"Lie down and die, it'll be much easier," Yveltal shouted over the din of the fight below.

Reshiram was tempted to do just that. But she responded with another roar, hoarse and raw this time. She sent out a Fire Blast.

Just as it was about to connect, the Patriot disappeared in a burst of purple flame.

Reshiram realized the Phantom Force attack a moment too soon. She turned, and instead of hitting her in the back, the Patriot's neck punch crunched into her face.

She felt her jaw wrench out of place and saw her teeth, bloodied and cracked, tumble down into the battle below.

Reshiram moaned with pain, no longer the proud legend, but a wounded animal.

The Patriot disappeared again and she felt a kick land on her back, then saw a boot lash into her chest.

Reshiram howled.

The Patriot materialized in front of her. He charged a Shadow Ball in between his hands.

"Goodbye."

But Reshiram would not go down this easily. She had lived for hundreds of millions of years, since time immemorial, since the universe began. She was the Fire, the Dragon of Yang and Truth and Light, she was Prometheus, the Blaze that Fuels the Stars.

And she would not die here.

She opened her dislocated jaws and a Blue Flare charged for mere moments before exploding wildly like a supernova.

Yveltal wasn't ready.

He was engulfed in the fire, and Reshiram was blinded by the light of her own attack.

The Blue Flare got smaller and smaller, condensing in on itself, and blinked out. Yveltal was nowhere to be seen.

Below, Dean hurled a charging Aggron, grabbing it by the horns and flinging it into an oncoming Darmanitan. He saw Reshiram, floating in the air, alone, and flew up.

"Where is he?" Dean questioned, breathless.

Reshiram could barely muster the strength for a telepathic answer, but managed a weak '_Gone.'_

"Then…then it's over. We can - …."

And then, in a burst of purple fire, the Patriot, his skin scorched and torn, revealing the red and black skin beneath, his arms gone and replaced with wings, appeared behind Reshiram.

She turned and Yveltal swung, slashing the Vast White Pokémon's throat wide open. Blood cascaded forth like a waterfall as Reshiram fell into the sea of war below.

The world seemed to freeze, and Dean roared, shouted like never before, shouted until his throat was on fire and reality convulsed.

The Patriot was thrown back, righting himself in the air. His skin was further torn, and a small cut had been drawn across his cheek.

"Roar of Time," he remarked, a slight smile playing on his face.

"You're ready, Dean."

Dean wanted to fight on, to tear Yveltal limb-from-limb, but he was exhausted from the Roar of Time as the Patriot approached.

"You're…going to kill me?" Dean wheezed, just about staying in flight.

"Not exactly. It's the fall that'll kill you. See, Arceus inhabited you for fourteen years. His power is still there. I can't just _kill _you. But I can drain you. Your power will become _my _power, and I'll embark on a new crusade across this universe, spreading fire in my wake."

The Patriot raised one wing, the black claws flexing eagerly.

"But first. The fall."

And the Patriot drove his claws into Dean's chest.

For a moment, Dean thought it was over. The world blurred as soon as the claws made contact. He felt weak, and tired, so tired. The feeling of invulnerability he'd felt for so long now was gone, replaced by fear, and despair, and pure, unrelenting _exhaustion._

He slumped and the Patriot smiled. His last vestiges of human skin tore off, and now he was revealed in full.

Black and red and terrible, Yveltal gave a beat of his wings and Dean was flung into the air.

He fell.


	15. Goodbye

**Thank you everyone, for sticking by me throughout this fic. It's been really fun, though probably a smidge more fun for me than you. Unless you love seeing people get their throats cut. **

**I'd like to especially thank Wolfsthrope Van Schliefffen, Blue-Eyed Cat and darrk, who review, like, constantly. You guys are beast.**

**Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Did you not hear me? POKÉMON ISN'T MINE. IT'S BEEN THREE FICS NOW. STILL NOT MINE.**

Latias saw Dean's fall before anyone else.

She blasted away the group of Sabeleye surrounding her with a Dragon Pulse, and swooped up, catching Dean on her back. She flinched.

"_Dean. Are you alright?"_

No response.

"_Dean."_

He was still, and silent. He was breathing, but just about. Latias quickly scanned his mind for any signs of life.

Barely anything.

She spread her wings and dived, soaring down. Latias sped towards Jack, who had just kicked a soldier in the chest and stolen his gun, and was now hammering the trigger, taking down anything in his proximity.

"_Jack! Get ready to jump!" _and as Latias flew over him, the older Regan leapt, clambering onto her back. He took three more shots at the seething mass of enemies below, and looked at Dean.

"What happened to him?" he asked.

"_I saw the Patriot _impale _him, Jack. I'm getting next to nothing when I read his mind," _Latias answered as she flew towards Donegan, who was avoiding an Ice Beam from his own Articuno. His Conkeldurr, which had been turned by the CORRUPTION device, lay at his feet with a bleeding hole in its temple.

Latias fired off a Mist Ball that sent Articuno sprawling. Donegan nodded and leapt onto Latios when he flew by. The two Eons blasted away from the docks, followed by Salamence.

"My God."

Below, London was on fire. Buildings smoked as Pokémon swarmed the streets, smashing cars and windows and, to Jack's horror, people. Some houses lay in complete ruin.

"Where's Chloe?" Donegan called from Latios's back.

"I…I don't know, she just vanished," Jack answered. He was still gazing at the devastation spread out before them. "What the hell do we do?"

"Get back to the apartment you were living in. It's on the north side of London and the army hasn't gotten that far," Donegan said. "First lesson I was ever thought. If the initial attack goes wrong, find a safe position and recalculate your assets."

"We don't have any."

"We have one. He's behind you, unconscious."

They landed in the alley outside the apartment, which, as Donegan had predicted, was untouched by the onslaught. They quickly took Dean inside and laid him out on the couch.

"He's cold. Really cold." Jack retracted his hand when he touched his brother's hand. "Jesus Christ. He's freezing."

"_Dead?" _Latios asked.

"Not dead-freezing. It's like his skin is frosted over or something." Jack put his head in his hands. "It doesn't make any sense. Where the hell is Yveltal?"

"I saw him fly back to the city after he…dealt with Dean," Donegan said.

Jack rounded on him and kicked the chair out from under him. He grabbed the Irish assassin by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up.

"Don't say that. Don't you dare freaking say that to me after all we've done. He is _not dead, _do you hear me?! He isn't! He will wake up and we will keep on fighting! _LIKE WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN DOING!" _Jack bellowed before shoving Donegan into the wall.

The assassin met his gaze without fear. He simply nodded.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" he asked.

"We're not soldiers. We're not - …" he faltered. "We're kids. We're just kids."

"Call yourselves what you want. Is this the first time you've lost somebody?" Donegan repeated, striding towards Jack, looming over him.

"No."

"Then stop acting like it is. Stop acting like children every time something goes wrong. I don't give two _shits _what you _say _you are. What you are, Jack Regan, is in a war. And in a war, the people who fight are, whether they choose to be or not, they are soldiers. And soldiers don't cower when they see a man die. They fight on, and they make damn sure that man didn't die for nothing."

Jack showed no reaction. Donegan was nose-to-nose with him now.

"So I don't care if Dean is dead, or whether he's unconscious, or whether he's our only asset. You never fought _for _him, you fought for a cause. You fought against the Patriot. Now I don't pretend to be an expert on being on the side of good, but as far as I can tell, but what I am an expert on is war. And in war, the cause is everything. So you, Jack, will make a plan, and you will walk out that door, and you will kill Yveltal."

Donegan stepped back.

"Clear?"

Jack swallowed hard, and sat down.

"Clear."

Yveltal stood on the helipad that was built on the roof of his London penthouse, observing the destruction below with distinct satisfaction.

His tower stood like a colossus, standing over the chaos. It was mentally implanted in the CORRUPTION victim's mind that this building, no matter what, was not to be touched.

He had repaired his human skin, lest any human law enforcement come knocking on his door, looking to evacuate him from the area. He had an image to retain.

Suddenly, Yveltal heard footsteps behind him and his nostrils flared like a beast's. He knew instantly who it was.

He turned, and Xerneas faced him.

She was wearing a human form as well, that blonde, scrawny thing called Chloe McAvoy.

"Sister," Yveltal smiled broadly. Xerneas didn't.

"Yveltal." She nodded.

The skin on Yveltal's left arm tore off, and his wing unfurled. "Have you come to tell me to stop?"

"No."

The Destruction Pokémon laughed. "Ah. You've come to _make _me stop, haven't you?"

Now it was Xerneas who was smiling. "No."

Yveltal frowned.

"Well, there isn't a huge amount else you can do. Well, I suppose you can let me kill you, but why do I sense that's not going to happen?" he laughed.

Xerneas raised a hand and in a burst of light, she was in her true form.

"Forgive me if I don't show the same courtesy," Yveltal said. "My true form being released might destroy this entire godforsaken country. And _then _where would I be?"

Xerneas lowered her great, antlered head and took a step back.

Then, she charged. Yveltal stood his ground and caught the attack, gripping Xerneas' horns in his hands. "You gotten weaker…since we last fought…"

Despite this, Yveltal was still straining to not get gored. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he was forced to step back.

"This is for all the people you've hurt. All the lives you've ruined." And at Xerneas' words, from each of the crystals embedded in her horns, a tree-root snaked out.

Yveltal knew what was coming.

"No! No, you can't do this! Not to me!" Yveltal tried to wrench his hands away, but the roots had already sunk into his wing.

"Let's see how you like having your powers torn from you," Xerneas said.

A ripple of red energy flowed along the roots and into Xerneas's horns. They shone crimson for a moment and she was blasted back. Yveltal fell to his knees.

"It won't work…" he growled, his voiced bestial, his face contorted into a mask of rage. "It didn't work before, and it won't now. They'll come back. You can't just _take _my powers for long, you know."

Xerneas struggled to her feet and began to glow.

"I know. It'll be enough though. I've seen how this ends."

And then she was gone.

Yveltal stood alone once more.

Dean's eyes snapped open.

For a moment, he had no idea where he was. He sat up, and splayed his palm, expecting a burst of fire to erupt in it.

Nothing happened.

"_Dean! You're awake!" _Latias said, flying over from the corner of what he now recognized to be the apartment's living room. "_We thought you were dead."_

Dean didn't respond. He just stared at his empty hand. "What happened to me?"

Latias couldn't meet his eye. "_Yveltal, he…he stabbed you through the chest. It didn't leave a mark, but you were unconscious and…cold. Really cold. Is it possible the Patriot took your powers somehow?"_

Dean's voice was hollow, and he didn't look away from his palm.

"I guess he did…wait, where's Jack and Donegan?"

"_They're gone. They said they were taking Yveltal down once and for all," _Latias answered. Then her eyes widened. "_Don't."_

Dean stood. "I need to. They can't stop him without me, you know it."

"_They have Latios and Salamence with them! They can do this."_

"No they can't," Dean said. "They'll die."

"_What can you do?! You don't have any powers, Dean, you'll just get in their way. You _have _to sit this out," _Latias urged.

Dean shook his head. He strode into Jack's room, opening his drawer. He took a revolver from the small pile of guns strewn in it, ones he'd stolen from various enemies over the past year.

He walked back into the living room.

"I'm sorry, really I am."

Latias looked like she might argue further but then she nodded. "_I get it."_

Dean smiled, but it was an empty smile. He walked into his room and opened up a wardrobe. Inside, propped against the right wall, was a baseball bat.

Latias floated in behind him. "_What is it?"_

"Emily used it once. I walked in, and she thought I was a Hunter." He laughed slightly, and lifted it up. "It'll do."

He walked right out to the front door and hesitated for a moment.

Then he opened it, took one last glance at the room, and closed it behind him.

It only took him a couple of minutes to find the building. It was the only one untouched by the army's rampage. The Pokémon had already moved on, further north, but ruins of houses and cars still smouldered along the street.

The building was another Avalanche Worldwide office. It was almost like Yveltal was laughing at Douglas Snow's death.

Dean had only met the business tycoon the once, when he'd tried to kill him, but it didn't matter. Death was death.

God knows the Patriot had caused too much of it.

Dean drew the revolver from his pocket and walked straight up to the glass double doors, swinging the bat. The pane shattered and he stepped through it.

The reception desk was empty. The whole lobby was.

Dean leapt the first step of the stairwell, almost expecting to begin flying, before sprinting up the other three, equally empty, flights.

He burst into the hallway to find only one door at the end. There was a plaque on it, saying 'Thomas Mayhew.'

"Must've been his alias," Dean muttered. He aimed his revolver at the door as he walked and fired two shots through the mahogany. Once he reached it he kicked as hard as he could. It was jarring, the pain in his foot was something he hadn't experienced for months, but he kicked again and the wood caved.

Yveltal stood up behind his desk.

"This is what you always wanted, isn't it, Dean?" the Patriot asked, his voice raw, his face pale. "Man to man? One last showdown?"

He took out a gun from his desk. "Too bad."

He fired, but his grip was shaky and the shots missed. Dean didn't even have to move. Something was off, _he _was off.

"You'd never use a gun."

"What?" Yveltal said. "What are you talking about?" his hand was trembling wildly by now. He could barely hold the gun.

"You would never use a gun if you could just crush me with your bare hands. Why?" Dean strode right up to him until the desk was all that separated them.

"Shut up…" Yveltal's voice was panicked. "_Shut up!" _

He fired again, and Dean ducked before swinging the bat into the Patriot's ribs. He stumbled back into the glass window that made up the back wall of his office.

Dean swung again but Yveltal lunged, swiping at his face. The Patriot's hand found his eye and Dean was caught off guard, his back hitting the desk.

Yveltal gripped the legs of his chair and lifted it, before bringing it down. Dean dived out of the way and rolled, coming up behind him.

He put his bat across his throat.

Yveltal yelped, he actually _yelped, _and hurled himself into the window. Dean kept his bat tightly across the Patriot's neck, but felt the glass crack. The Patriot slammed back against it once more and it shattered, and they were on the helipad, in the open air.

Dean backed up, tossing his bat and revolver over the edge.

"You and me. Let's end this."

Jack climbed onto the rooftop, bursting through the doors into the sun. Columns of smoke rose from all across the city.

He was on the roof adjacent to the Patriot's building. He had a clear shot at the helipad. He turned.

"Donegan?" the Irish assassin was nowhere to be seen, nor were Latios and Salamence. They'd definitely begun the run up the stairs with him.

"You needed to be alone."

Jack turned in response to the voice, and found himself facing Chloe McAvoy.

"Xerneas. What do you mean I needed to…?" Jack stopped. He saw, over her shoulder, the helipad. He saw Dean, kicking the Patriot, who was on the ground.

"Son of a bitch."

Chloe's expression didn't change. "Set up your rifle. You have to get this right."

Jack was speechless. But he did as asked, setting up his tripod, setting down his weapon on it and kneeling down, peering through the scope.

"Just remember. It would've always come to this. Always. There was nothing you could've done to prevent it. Just remember that."

Jack frowned, as, through the scope, he saw Dean wrench the Patriot to his feet, holding him in a chokehold.

"No."

"This is the only shot you'll get. Take it."

Dean's head was positioned exactly behind the Patriot's.

"The bullet will go through."

"Yes."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. And you have to."

Jack turned. "_I CAN'T!"_

Chloe twitched a finger and Jack was pressed to his knees. He was forced by some invisible hand to turn, and lay his finger on the trigger. Yveltal was struggling, but Dean held him firm.

"Take the shot."

Jack was crying now. Tears stung his scarred face as they rolled down.

His hand tightened. "You can't make me do this."

"I already have. I saw it."

And he pulled the trigger.

_Three days later…_

The policeman wasn't surprised at the scarred man's appearance, but much more by his question.

In the aftermath of what was quickly becoming known as Judgement Day, the second Pokémon disaster to hit London in a week, the policeman had been stationed at an inquiry desk set up in Trafalgar Square. People would come to him to ask about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

The scarred man didn't.

He'd asked about a shooting on the Avalanche Worldwide Primary Office, on the helipad.

He'd asked about the bodies that were found.

The policeman had worked in homicides a few years ago. He still had friends there.

So he inquired.

"I saw two people…get shot," the scarred man had said. The policeman was confused.

"Two people, mate? That don't add up. Report says different."

"What?"

"They only found the one body."

**Remember what I said about the best ending ever, Wolf?**


End file.
